A smart ring could be used to monitor heart rate and sleep quality. — AFP Relaxnews
The concept of the smart ring, focused primarily on health and well-being, has been around for several years, but it remains a relatively niche market. However, major tech brands such as Samsung and Apple could soon take up this technological challenge and add smart rings to their product ranges.
Until now, the smart ring market has been fairly limited in options, with brands such as the Finnish specialist start-up, Oura, focusing mainly on activity tracking – both day and night. But the market could get shaken up by the arrival of major manufacturers, starting with the world's number one smartphone seller, Samsung.
The South Korean giant could be gearing up to release a smart ring, named the Galaxy Ring, according to the South Korean website, The Elec. This wearable is said to be still under development, and no information has yet emerged about its availability or price.
Paired with a mobile application (in this case, Samsung Health), this type of smart ring could collect a whole range of data relating to the wearer's health and well-being, including heart rate, thanks to small sensors placed inside the ring. The idea is to provide even more precise health measurements than a smartwatch, bearing in mind that other functionalities could very well be added, such as enabling payments thanks to the presence of an NFC chip.
Note that Samsung has postponed the release of its forthcoming mixed reality headset until summer 2024, after the announced release of the Apple Vision Pro. It may not be impossible to imagine that the smart ring could interact with this headset when using certain applications.
In addition to Samsung, Apple is also said to be working on a smart ring project. Since 2015, Apple has regularly filed patents for this type of device. However, this technology appears to be more focused on hand gesture sensing, perhaps combined with a mixed reality experience. In any case, Apple has never communicated officially on the subject.
For the user, there are several advantages to wearing a smart ring. Firstly, it could prove more accurate in health and sleep-related measurements than a watch, which is often less well-fitting. Plus, a ring can be much more discreet, since no one would be able to tell this sophisticated device apart from a regular piece of jewellery. – AFP Relaxnews
